Shabak: Hamas Increasing Recruitment Operations from Turkey

The Israel security agency Shabak and Israel Police last month arrested two men who are suspected of having been recruited for Hamas activity from Turkey.

On January 1, 2018, Cemil Tekeli, a Turkish citizen who lectures on law, was arrested on suspicion of aiding Hamas terrorists in Turkey. On January 21, Dara’am Jabarin, an Israeli citizen and resident of Umm al-Fahm, was also arrested.

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During the investigation it was discovered that the two had been recruited in Turkey by senior Hamas terrorist Zaher Jabarin, who was released in the Gilad Shalit deal. He is responsible for the Hamas budget and promotes divergent terrorist operations in Judea and Samaria on instruction from Salah Aruri, who serves as the deputy chairman of Hamas and head of its operations in Judea and Samaria.

Most of the terrorists in question had been released in the Shalit deal and were involved in attacks that claimed Israeli lives.

Tekeli’s investigation revealed that Turkey contributes to the military boosting of Hamas through the SADAT company, established at the behest of Adnan Basha, a close adviser to Turkish government officials. The company was founded to funds and supply the fledgling “Palestine Army,” whose goal is to fight Israel. A SADAT official helped senior Hamas officials to visit a 2015 weapons show in Turkey, during which they expressed their interest in purchasing drones.

The investigation made it clear that Hamas is in direct contact with Turkish authorities via Jihad Ya’amur, a terrorist who was involved in the abduction of IDF soldier Nahshon Waxman and was released in the Shalit deal.

The investigation showed that, back in 2012, Tekeli was asked to help Hamas terrorists in Turkey to become established financially. Tekeli assisted them in obtaining visas that allowed them to stay in Turkey, in purchasing and renting commercial and residential properties, in purchasing luxury vehicles, and in registering companies in their names.

Investigation findings have revealed a wide-ranging Hamas activity in money laundering in Turkey, on instructions from Zaher Jabarin, concealing from the authorities the sources of the funds. The investigation showed that Hamas members owned the IMES company which served as a cover for the laundering of millions of US dollars that were transferred to the Gaza Strip and various countries.

IMES’s importance to Hamas was revealed in the investigation of Dara’am Jabarin, who was recruited to Hamas by Zaher Jabarin while visiting in Turkey. The initial contact with Dara’am was under the cover of IMES commercial activity. Dara’am visited Turkey frequently over the next 18 months and was asked by his handlers to transfer Hamas funds from Turkey to Judea and Samaria. His handlers in Turkey gave him hundreds of thousands of euros for Hamas’s military infrastructure. He hid the funds in various secret locations in Judea and Samaria. A search of his home uncovered €91,000 which were due to be transferred to Judea and Samaria.

The investigation revealed that Dara’am’s activities were carried out at the behest of Zaher Jabarin and his chief aide Salameh Mar’i, whom Tekeli had helped establish in Turkey. Salameh Mari was also released in the Shalit deal and had been involved in a March 1993 terrorist attack near Burkin in which an IDF soldier was murdered.

Pursuant to the investigation, additional suspects – residents of Umm al-Fahm who had assisted Dara’am – were also detained.